Loom having stationary weft supplies



May 18, 1937. w. POOL LOOM HAVING STATIONARY WE FT SUPPLIES Filed Nov. 50, 1934 )OooooOOO INVENTOR WILLIAM POOL Patented May 18, 19 37 UNITED STATES LOOM HAVING STATIONARY WEFT SUPPLIES William Pool, Spondon, near Derby, England,

assignor to C'elanese Corporation of America,

a corporation of Delaware Application November 30, 1934, Serial No. 755,431 In Great Britain January 18, 1934 7 Claims.

This invention relates to looms, and particularly to shuttleless looms in which the weft is laid in the form of cut lengths whose free ends during weaving project into the warp shed.

U. S. Patent No. 1,921,396 describes such a loom in which the projecting end of a weft pick is seized and held to hold the weft straight until it is beaten up in the fabric, after which the end is severed to free it from the device by which it is held. In the particular embodiment illustrated in the drawing of the said specification, the

weft end on release from the dummy shuttle is drawn downwardly through an aperture in the shuttle race by means of suction, and there held by a shutter which serves as a trapping device and also as a means to control the application of the suction. Above the shutter is a knife serving to sever the weft end, thus leaving projecting from the woven fabric a piece of weft insufficient in length to be caught by the shutter when the latter opens to seize the end of a subsequently inserted pick.

U. S. Patent No. 1,966,935 describes another form of cutting device adapted to leave a much shorter length of projecting weft, this device being of the hair-trimmer type and lying underneath the loom temple so as to sever the weft fairly close to the fabric. In view, however, of the space occupied by the temple, the cutter cannot be placed sufficiently near the fabric to cut off the weft end completely, and therefore it is necessary, where a particularly neat selvedge is desired, to subject the fabric to a cropping operation after weaving. The present invention has for its object to effect substantially complete removal of the projecting weft ends during weaving so as to avoid the necessity for any subsequent cropping.

According to the invention, an auxiliary cutter 4-0 is provided and positioned so as to lie close to one face of the fabric after the fabric has left the temple, and means are provided to direct the weft ends into the cutter. Conveniently this auxiliary cutter is of the hair-trimmer type described in U. S. Patent No. 1,966,935, and operated in a similar manner to that cutter. Used in conjunction with the hair-trimmer cutter mounted on the temple, the auxiliary cutter may be operated by means common to the two 50 cutters.

In order to direct the weft ends into the teeth of the auxiliary cutting device a guide member is provided in close association with the cutting device. The guide may be in the form of a con- 55 verging notch or mouth which is placed near the cutting device with its open end in alignment with the succession of weft ends so that as the fabric proceeds past the mouth the weft ends pass into the open end of the mouth and are 60 guided thereby into the cutter. Preferably, suction is applied to the mouth to raise the weft ends and draw them away from the fabric. The

ends are thus caused to lie substantially at rightangles to the cutting device so that the point of severance lies close to the face of the-fabric.

One form of apparatus according to the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: I

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the weft cutting mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a part cross-sectional elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows in a diagrammatic manner the disposition in a loom of the weft cutting mechanism and the operating means therefor;

Fig. 4 is a part cross-sectional elevation of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 assembled in an alternative manner;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a detail of Figs. 1, 2 and 4, on larger scale; while Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views showing.

the points at which weft protruding from the fabric is cut'by the cutting mechanism.

Fig. 1 shows the warp threads 5 proceeding through the reed 6 and across the shuttle race I to the fabric 8, the shuttle race being shown at forward centre position. The fabric 8 is gripped by rollers 9 of a temple ll! on its way to the fabric take-up mechanism (not shown).

Weft is inserted in the warps 5 from both sides of the loom in the manner described in U. S.

Patent No. 1,921,396 so as to leave a free end projecting from the warps at intervals, each free end (one indicated at [2 in Fig. 2) being drawn by suction into an aperture l3 formed in the shuttle race I and trapped there while under tension by a shutter M operating in the aperture.

U. S. Patent No. 1,966,935 describes how the trapped weft ends are carried by beat-up of the sley I5 into contact with a multi-toothed cut ting device 16 of the hair-trimmer type, which is disposed beneath the-temple HJ near the fell of the fabric 8 and above the aperture E3 in the shuttle race I at forward centre position of the sley I5. The cutting device l6 comprises afixed flat plate I! bearing on one edge a row of teeth It which co-operate with similar teeth forming the edge of a second fiat plate 19. The second plate l9 slides laterally toand fro across the fixed plate ll under the influence of an oscillatin-g bell-crank lever 20, so that the protruding teeth constituting the edge of the plate H! are moved across the teeth l8 of the fixed plate 5'! in such a manner as to exercise a cutting action and to sever the trapped weft end l2 at a short distance from the fabric upon. the thread entering the cutting zone. The trapping and cutting positions of the weft end I2 are shown at A and B respectively, in Fig. 6.

The bell-crank lever 28 is pivotally connected by a link 2| to a member l2! outstanding from the upper extremity of a rocking lever 22 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3), which is pivoted freely on a shaft 23 and is rocked on alternate strokes of the beat-up of the loom by a cam 24 fixed to the half-time shaft 25 of the loom.

When the weft lengths are inserted into alternate sheds in hair-pin form, (a pick from one side of the loom being followed by a pick from the other side), the protruding weft threads appear at any one edge of the warps only on alternate picks of the loom, and by suitably timing the cam 24 the cutting means are caused to operate exactly when, and only when required, i. e. just as the weft is beaten up. If desired the profile of the cam 2G may be such as to cause the cutting device to operate continuously during the operation of the loom.

On severance of the weft ends it. (at point B in Fig. 6), the cut ends are released by the shutter l4 and sucked away from the aperture 13. The cut ends proceed to a suction pipe I25 (Fig. 3), which is connected by a flexible tube 26 to a suction conduit 21 along which the cut ends are conveyed to a suitable receiver (not shown). For further details of a suitable suction system reference may be had to U. S. Patent No. 1,921,396. The very short weft ends left protruding from the fabric 8 after severance by the cutting device it (and indicated at 28 in Figs. 1, 2 and 7) are carried by the fabric to: an auxiliary cutting device 29 which crops the weft ends cleanly from the surface of the fabric.

The auxiliary cutting device 29 is mounted on an angle bracket 38 secured by a bolt 3| to an upright bracket 32 which is secured in turn by clamp jaws 33 to the front rail 34 of the loom. Like the cutting device Hi, the auxiliary cutting device 29 is of the hair-trimmer type comprising a fixed fiat plate 35 bearing at one edge a row of protruding teeth 33, which co-operate with similar teeth forming the edge of a second flat plate 37. a The second plate 31 slides laterally to and fro across the fixed plate 35 under the influence of an oscillating bell-crank lever 38, so that the protruding teeth constituting the edge of the plate 3'! are moved across the teeth 36 of the fixed plate 35 in such a manner as to exercise a cutting action. I

The bell-crank lever 38 is pivotally connected by a link 39 to the member l2! outstanding from the upper extremity of the rocking lever 22, the rocking lever 22 thus operating the auxiliary cutting device 29 as well as the cutting device Hi.

When the weft ends 28 protrude from the underside of the fabric 8 the auxiliary cutting device 29 is mounted on the bracket 32 in such a manner as to bear against the underside of the fabric, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to direct the weft ends into the teeth of the auxiliary cutting device a suction tube 88 having a branch I45 substantially at right-angles thereto, and terminating in a narrow flared V-mouth (ii is provided (see Fig. 5).

The suction tube 49 is secured to the bracket 32 by means of a clamp 42 and bolt 43 in such a manner that the mouth 45 is held close to the teeth of the auxiliary cutting device with its open end facing the approaching weft ends 28. The weft ends enter the open end of the V-mouth 8| and are guided thereby into the suction zone. The suction raises the weft ends 28 from the fabric as they are carried by the fabric into the teeth of the auxiliary cutting device 25. The weft ends 28 thus enter the teeth of the cutting device 29 substantially at right-angles thereto and are severed at point C (Fig. 7). Since the auxiliary cutting device 29 is positioned very closely to the fabric the point of severance C of the weft ends 28 lies very closely to the fabric.

With the hair-trimmer type cutter it is possible to leave only about inch of weft projecting, and if the weft ends 28 have been caused to project from the fabric 8 at a point rather more than f inch from the actual edge of the fabric, after cropping no Weft at all extends beyond the edge of the fabric. In this way an extremely neat appearance is imparted to the selvedge.

The flared V-mouth 4! of the suction tube 48 forms a narrow slot through which relatively little air is drawn. into the tube, so that the suction can be continuously applied to the tube without substantially reducing the amount of suction in the system. After severance, the weft ends 28 are carried by the suction along the tube 83 to a tube A l which connects with the suction conduit 21 (Fig. 3). The severed weft ends 28 are thus conveyed to the receiver in the manner explained with reference to the severed weft ends l2.

Since in the case of some fabrics, for example satins, (which are woven face downwards) it is desirable for the sake of appearance to avoid even the short amount of weft C projecting from the face of the fabric, the weaving can be arranged so that the weft ends 28 project from the back of the fabric, 1. e., from the top surface during weaving. In this case the auxiliary cutting device 29 is mounted on the bracket 32 in such a manner as to bear against the top surface of the fabric, as shown in Fig. 4, the same bracket being adapted to support the cutting device in either position. The suction tube 45, however, being handed by reason of the open-ended V-mouth M, is removed and replaced by one of different hand which is positioned on the bracket 32 above the fabric with its flared V-mouth 41 depending towards the cutting teeth, the open end of the mouth facing the approaching weft ends 28. The operation of the auxiliary cutting device 29 and suction tube 33 is the same in either position, the short weft ends 28 being cropped off close either from the underside or from the top-side of the fabric.

While Figs. 6 and 7 show the weft i2 protruding from the underside of the fabric 8, it will be understood that when the weft protrudes from the top surface it will proceed upwardly through the warp threads, and will extend over the edge of the fabric to points A-B. Similarly, when the weft end 28 is cut by the auxiliary cutting device 29 on the top surface of the fabric 8, the point C will be on the top surface of the fabric as described above, and not beneath, as shown in Fig. '7. A cylindrical packing 45, e. g. of wood, is provided to enable the clamp 42 to grip the tube 88 in either position on the bracket 32.

It is to be understood that while the foregoing description has been confined to weft cutting apparatus at one side of the loom, similar apparatus operates in a similar manner on the other side of the loom. Thus, when changing the auxiliary cutting devices from the underside to the top surface of the fabric, the suction tubes 40 are simply changed from one edge of the fabric to the other, the tube which is handed correctly for the underside of one edge being suitable for use on the top surface of the opposite edge of the fabric. To enable a quick interchange of suction tubes 48, and a quick fitting of the tubes to the tubes 44 to be effected, the tubes 40 are connected to the tubes 4 by lengths of flexible tubing 53 of rubber or like material.

Conveniently the links 39 and 2! are made of flexible spring metal to enable the cutting devices to be moved slightly in any direction necessary for good weaving without the necessity of altering the driving connections. This is especially convenient with regard to link 39, since its flexibility minimizes the need for special adjustment when the cutting device 29 is to be moved from one side to the other of the fabric. The position of each link can be regulated relatively to the member MI by means of a screw and slot connection 41, 4B. In order to vary the throw of the bell-crank lever 38 the link 39 may be connected thereto at any of three positions 50, 5|, 52 (Fig. 1).

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a loom in which weft is inserted in cut lengths whose ends project from the fabric at or near the edge thereof, means for seizing projecting weft ends and holding said ends out of the plane of the fabric, cutting means located near the fell of the fabric at the edge thereof and adapted to engage and cut short said projecting weft ends, suction means located near the edge of the fabric at a point removed from the fell, said suction means being adapted to raise said short weft ends into a position substantially normal to the plane of the fabric, and auxiliary cutting means in association with said suction means, said auxiliary cutting means having a plurality of coacting teeth arranged substantially parallel to the fabric and in close association therewith so as to engage the short weft ends raised by said suction means and out said ends close to the surface of the fabric.

2. In a loom in which weft is inserted in cut lengths whose ends project from the fabric at or near the edge thereof, means for seizing projecting weft ends and holding said ends out of the plane of the fabric, cutting means located near the fell of the fabric .at the edge thereof and adapted to engage and cut short said projecting weft ends, suction means located near the edge of the fabric at a point removed from the fell, said suction means being adapted to raise said short weft ends into a position substantially normal to the plane of the fabric, and auxiliary cutting means in association with said suction means and adapted to cut close to the surface of the fabric the short weft ends raised by said suction means, and means for holding said auxiliary cutting means close to the fabric either beneath or above the fabric in accordance with the surface from which the weft ends project.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the auxiliary cutting means comprises a fixed plate and a movable plate each bearing teeth at one edge, said movable plate being adapted to slide over said fixed plate so that one set of teeth moves over the other set in order to sever a weft end engaged by the teeth.

4. In a loom in which weft is inserted in cut lengths whose ends. project from the fabric at or near the edge thereof, means for seizing projecting weft ends and holding said ends out of the plane of the fabric, cutting means located near the fell of the fabric at the edge thereof and adapted to engage and cut short said projecting weft ends, suction means located near the edge of the fabric at a point removed from the fell, said suction means being adapted to raise said short weft ends: into a position substantially normal to the plane of the fabric, and

auxiliary cutting means in association with said suction means and adapted to cut close to the surface of the fabric the short Weft ends; raised by said suction means.

5. In. a loom in which weft is inserted in cut lengths whose ends: project from the fabric at or near the edge thereof, means for seizing projecting weft ends and holding said ends out of the plane of the fabric, cutting means located near the fell of the fabric at the edge thereof and adapted to engage and cut short said projecting weft ends, auxiliary cutting means located near the edge of the fabric at a point removed from the fell, said auxiliary cutting means being adapted to engage projecting weft ends previously cut short by the first cutting means and to cutsaid ends closer to the fabric, and suction means in association with said auxiliary cutting means, said suction means being adapted both to raise said previously cut projecting weft ends from the fabric into a position substantially normal to the plane of the fabric to be cut by said auxiliary cutting means, and to convey the cut weft ends away from the point of cutting after the operation of said auxiliary cutting means.

6. In a loom in which weft is inserted in out lengths whose ends project from the fabric at or near the edge thereof, means for seizing projecting weft ends and holding said ends out of the plane of the fabric, cutting means located near the fell of the fabric at the edge thereof, and adapted to engage and cut short said projecting weft ends, suction means in association with said cutting means for conveying from the point of cutting the weft ends cut off by said cutting means, auxiliary cutting means located near the edge of the fabric at a point removed from the fell, said auxiliary cutting means being adapted to engage the short weft ends and cut said short ends closer to the fabric, and further suction means in association with said auxiliary cutting means, said further suction means being adapted both to raise said short weft ends from the fabric into a position substantially normal to the fell of the fabric to be cut by said auxiliary cutting means and to convey from the point of cutting the short weft ends cutoff by said auxiliary cutting means, and a common suction system serving both the suction means and adapted to convey the cut weft ends from the loom.

'7. In a loom in which weft is inserted in out lengths whose ends project from the fabric at or near the edge thereof, cutting means adapted to sever close to the fabric weft ends: projecting therefrom, and a tube in association with said cutting means and having an orifice formed as a thread-guide, said tube being adapted both to apply suction to said projecting weft ends so as to raise said weft ends into a position substantially normal to the plane of the fabric tobe cut by said cutting means and to guide with its orifice the weft ends so raised into engagement with said cutting means.

WILLIAM POOL. 

